Yenni, who had vanished outside the village, reappeared inside the Saviors of Humanity Association—the large, towering building in the heart of Tokyo that serves as an academy, a training ground and ho to all Awakeners that are resolute to serve humanity.
Since it was late, only a few amount of people were awake but the relevant personality needed for the case were. Yenni was escorted to a dical ward where he laid the deceased female Humanity Savior on a tal table with her severed head not too far away from her.
Next, Yenni reported everything that they had seen in the village in detail and as he had seen it to the captain of their faction who delivered it to the highest ranking official—the grand commander.
****
Deep within the association, the grand commander's chambers stood in solemn stillness. But monts after the report was delivered, the heavy door burst open from within, its echo resounding through the vastness outside the chamber.
From the shadows erged the grand commander—the blond man who was the sa one who had shown reluctance to et up with Blind Fangs' leader a while back.
He strode through the vast, dimly lit hall, his hurried steps echoing against the stone. His silk night garnts billowed behind him, stirred by the chill air and the force of his movent. Close behind, his male assistant matched his pace, shadowing his every step.
It wasn't yet dawn but the cruciality of the matter gave no room for delay. He arrived at the dical room where Yenni and the dead HS along with so other officials who had heard of the matter, gathered.
He had Yenni recount everything directly into his ears, while having soone examine the deceased HS with their ability to determine the cause of death. Or better yet, the exact way and from what she had died.
The officials were of course left dumbfounded and confused after Yenni's report. Were there really people out there other than the twelve elders capable of pulling such a feat? What had really transpired? Had the demons battled amongst themselves and ended up killing one another?
According to the report, only twelve of the sixteen demons had been killed. Why? Was it the remaining four who had killed the rest and freed the villagers from their own vile clutches?
As the issue racked the minds of the officials within the confinent of the dical ward, Zero and Hasei pulled up—alighting with Beni, the boy whose subordinate had been killed.
Yenni ca out to escort them to the dical ward where the officials discussed the matter. As soon as Beni was escorted into the ward, all eyes darted to him, their gazes oppressive which felt quite overwhelming, coupled with his traumatized state.
Beni was made to sit on a tal table, his head dipping and not eting the eyes of anyone in the room. Since the matter was unclear with no clear evidence or answers, Beni was their sole ans of finding out exactly what had happened in the village.
With a swift turn, his night garnt fluttering with the motion, the commander turned to Beni who was hunched and huddled on the table with a trembling fra, approaching with light steps.
As the commander approached Beni, he quivered, heart pounding with every step closer he got. The commander reached, standing like a looming wall before Beni whose head remained dipped, gaze glued to the floor.
Though the commander often exuded warmth and kindness, there was no mistaking the strength required to hold the title of grand commander—the highest rank in the association and its ultimate authority. Faced with such a presence, Beni yielded without question.
All eyes were fixed on the commander and Beni, the air thick with anticipation. Every heartbeat thundered in Beni's ears, his nerves fraying with each passing second as he waited for the commander remained eerily silent before him, his gaze unreadable, leaving Beni to endure the agonizing wait for his words.
The commander's oppressive gaze lingered on Beni's hunched form for a while more before he spoke. "C'mon!" He let out in a warm, cheerful tone, contrary to what everyone had been expecting which not only shocked the others but also Beni himself.
"Why are you so stiff? You must've gone through a lot, losing your companion and experiencing all that." The commander's tone was light, tugging along warmth that softened and lessened the pain and suffering in Beni's heart.
The room fell into a heavy silence, no one daring to speak or interrupt the commander as he addressed the situation. Their eyes simply remained fixed.
"I can't claim to fully understand what you're feeling right now, since it didn't happen to directly," the commander said gently, his voice soft and steady as he looked down at the back of Beni's head. "But everyone has a sense of what you're going through."
"Loss, helplessness, the weight of surviving when others didn't… these are so of the hardest emotions to bear. Your reaction is not only understandable, it's human. And you're brave," he added, his words a quiet reassurance.
The commander spoke with a soft air about him, his voice, calm and asured, carried a soothing quality that seed to unwind the tension in Beni's anxious heart.
"However," he continued. "It is all the more reason for you to tell everything that happened. That way, we can get justice and prevent sothing like this from ever happening again," he said. "Normally, we would've given you ti had the situation permitted it, but this is a crucial matter, one of urgency. The earlier we strive to resolve this, the better."
The repetition of the question jolted Beni once more, dragging him back into the depths of his trauma. Each ti that question was asked, mories flooded in—Seiya's bloodshot eyes, piercing through him with a gaze that seed to strip away his very soul. The weight of Seiya's commands echoed in his mind, binding him, making defiance impossible.
Trembling, Beni shut his eyes tightly, his hands clutching his body in an attempt to steady himself, unable to make a sound.
The commander, ever patient, allowed the silence to stretch, waiting for Beni to regain his composure and fulfill his duty. But Beni remained frozen, unwilling—or unable—to speak.
The commander's gaze shifted into a chilling peer, the air around him darkening as he bored down on Beni with an authoritative look. In one forceful burst, a thick oppressive energy surged from the commander, its color a dark red hue.
The energy surged forward, engulfing only Beni in a suffocating shroud despite the room being vast, containing people. It seeped into Beni from all angle like it was injecting into his systems.
Beni quivered more, cold sweat breaking out on him. His mouth fell open as he gasped for breath, tears seeping out from his stuck wide eyes.
"Was it because I'd rely entertained your pathetic state?" The commander asked, voice a stark contrast to the light, cheerful tone he had been using a while ago.
His gaze burned with fierce intensity, his energy drowning the young boy. The onlookers—the other officials, simply stood in silence, breaking out in cold sweat and swallowing hard.
Even though the commander's oppressive energy hadn't reached them, it felt chilling to the bones and caused them shivers.
"Give your report of what had happened," he commanded.
However, despite the nerve wrecking fear that the commander enveloped Beni in, he couldn't break free from Seiya's own commands. He simply trembled pathetically, clutching himself tight like he was cast naked into a biting snowstorm.
"Will you speak, or must I reunite you with your subordinate?"
"…."
"…."
The silence stretched and lingered heavily in the atmosphere, Beni unready and unable to speak.
After a pause, the commander withdrew his energy, letting out a heavy sigh as he hunched slightly. "I suppose even threats won't do the trick, huh?" he mused with another deep sigh, his deanor shifting back to its usual warm, cheerful tone.
The others all let out a collective sigh of relief, hands flying to their chests as they let out deep breaths.
"To think he's truly in such a wretched state," he remarked, his gaze lingering on Beni, whose huddled form remained slumped on the tal table, still trembling.
With a swift turn, the commander faced his assistant. "Get Miss Quin here imdiately, we need to have his mories read."
He turned from his assistant to talk with the officials but his assistant's reply ca through.
"She's currently unavailable."
The commander's brow twitched, his lips tensing as he asked. "Where is she?"
"Since she was included in the war against the demons to take place in a month's ti, she got a leave to go on a vacation before the war would begin."
With the commander's brow still twitching, disbelief evident in his expression, he ordered with restrained anger. "Call her back in."
"Yes," the assistant bowed, turning to leave.
Turning back to the officials in the room, he continued. "Inform all the council mbers of the dire situation, and schedule a eting in the late morning."
"As for the village, have it checked out by daybreak since the villagers themselves must be overwheld by the situation right now. Interrogate them and get all you can from them."
"What about the barrier," one of the officials asked.
"Since there aren't any demons there anymore, it's likely a common barrier. Break through it."
"Commander," a female clad in white dical coat, called from behind, drawing his attention.
"The examination is complete," she announced.
"Speak."
"Her head wasn't severed by a weapon of any sort," she began calmly. "It was torn away by sharp claws."
The commander's eyes narrowed, as did those of the officials standing behind him.
"It wasn't by a common or ordinary claws either. They must have been long and powerful," she added.
"In other words," the commander said, gaze turning dark, voice chilling cold. "It was severed by a demon."
"Precisely."
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